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IND vs ENG 2nd Test Preview: Virat Kohli & co. eye redemption in Chennai after 1st Test defeat
India vs England: But going 1-0 down early on in the series, it is a chance for captain Virat Kohli to bring his top game and lead India to a series win.
After suffering a shocking 227-run loss in the first Test against England, the Virat Kohli-led side will enter the 2nd Test seeking redemption. The Indian team slipped down to the 4th position in the ICC World Test Championship table after the defeat, and one more loss in the series would mean India getting eliminated from the tournament. According to news agency PTI, India have opted for a turning pitch in the 2nd Test in hopes that it can turn the result their way.
But England, over the past couple of months, have shown they can adjust themselves on turning surfaces. England captain Joe Root struck a double hundred in Sri Lanka and smashed another one in India. Root has grown as a batsman on spinning surfaces and he would be India's biggest threat.
Also read: No Anderson in England's 12 for 2nd Test, Foakes named keeper
But going 1-0 down early on in the series, it is a chance for captain Virat Kohli to bring his top game and lead India to a series win. It would not only showcase that India's win in Australia was not a fluke, but also remove doubts on Kohli's captaincy.
India will also have the added advantage in the 2nd Test with 50 percent of fans back in the stadium. The fans would give Kohli the perfect stage to bring his passion in the middle, and it would be conditions that the India skipper thrives on.
Both the teams are likely to make changes. India have already removed Shahbaz Nadeem from the squad with Axar Patel regaining fitness. Axar may replace Shahbaz in the match, especially with the pitch expected to be a turner.
England will have a new wicketkeeper in Ben Foakes and Stuart Broad will replace James Anderson as part of workload management. Moeen Ali, a known nemesis of India, will replace Dom Bess, who was the leading wicket-taker in the first innings of the first Test. Jofra Archer has also been replaced by Chris Woakes in the playing XI.
The number of changes England have made into the playing XI can open up the doors for India batsmen to perform better on a surface that would suit their playing style.
Squads
India (from): Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishab Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasiprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Shardul Thakur.
England (from): Joe Root (captain), Dominic Sibley, Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, Olly Stone
(With inputs from PTI)
